When it comes to media training, Melody Kimmel is one of the country’s best. Before starting her firm, MK Media Training, Melody spent many years in the communications industry — as a journalist, corporate marketer and agency PR executive. During that time, she coached countless experts, from B2B CEOs to scientists, authors and celebrities.
With Melody’s guidance, these professionals learned how to tell their stories with skill and confidence. Look Left’s Davida Dinerman and John Moran recently connected with Melody on the Look Left @ Marketing podcast to discuss effective communication and presentation strategies. Conversation highlights include:
- Executive media training shouldn’t focus just on the hard-to-answer queries: “They should think about the really tough questions, but sometimes, it's the easy ones that are the most important. Not only because they are likeliest to get them, but because it's getting [reporters] close to, ‘Who are you? And why are you here talking to me?’”
- In today’s world of content-driven marketing, hiding from communication is no longer an option: “Now, more than ever, in the same way, you couldn't be the CFO if you were not good with numbers, everyone has to be able to communicate. Everyone has to consider themselves a brand strategist and a brand spokesperson.”
- There are things you can do in interviews that will prevent your words from being misconstrued: “One simple technique that people need to remember when they're being interviewed is to make sure the answer stands alone, that it does not require the question to set it up and for it to make sense. Even if the answer is clipped and replayed, forwarded or retweeted, you are in control to the greatest degree possible. You're not at the mercy of the meaning changing because of its new context.”
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